Gloucester man takes action for pets by raffling off handgun

Gloucester, Va. – Richard Clayton is raffling off a handgun in hopes of raising money for a Gloucester animal shelter.

“Demand for guns has gone way up, and I felt it would be the best way to sell more tickets,” said The Pet Castle owner, Richard Clayton.

He keeps one in the chamber himself, protecting The Pet Castle.

On Friday, Clayton will start selling the raffle tickets, 10 bucks a pop.

His idea was rejected by two other shelters, they didn’t want the gun money.

“They decided they didn’t want to be involved with it because of the controversy surrounding it,” Clayton said.

A couple of weeks ago, Clayton decided anyone who legally carries a handgun into his store gets a 15 percent discount.

“That’s probably the extent of any kind of politics I want to get into,” Clayton said.

For him, the raffle isn’t political, just supply and demand. He feels sad hearing the constant stories of dog abuse in Hampton Roads, like the dog shot near Norfolk International Airport Friday, and he hopes the money the raffle raises can outweigh the bad.

“I think it’s just some sicko out there shooting animals,” Clayton said. “I don’t think it has anything to do over the gun control debate or anything else.”